8-Year-Old Congolese Refugee Dies After Landing in Chicago

Receive the latest national-international updates in your inbox

In this file photo, a jet comes in for a landing at O'Hare International Airport March 3, 2005 in Chicago, Illinois.

Authorities are trying to determine what caused an 8-year-old refugee from Congo to die not long after his arrival in Chicago.

The boy, identified as David Dieme, arrived at O'Hare International Airport from Dubai on Tuesday with his father and five siblings, Customs Border Patrol spokesman Ralph Piccirrilli said. The group was being escorted to their next flight when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer noticed that David was unresponsive.

The boy was taken to Federal Inspection Services in Terminal Five and was evaluated by Emergency Medical Services, authorities said. He was examined by Centers of Disease Control and Prevention personnel before being taken to Presence Resurrection Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities say the boy was sick before boarding the flight to the U.S. but that he reported no symptoms on the plane.